Children are the victims of adult vices.

Laura and I spent yesterday in the city. I'm really glad we've gotten to know each other. She's super cool.

First we went to a restaurant called Matroyshka (Mother) which I thought would have a theme of Russian folk art, but nope. It was a super-expensive hoity-toity restaurant. We were disappointed, so we ordered the cheapest thing we could find. Then we went straight to McDonald's. Haha.

McDonald's in Russia is ALWAYS busy. People are packed in there like sardines. You often have to wait for a table to clear. Some of the restaurants have a drive-thru, but some of them have "McExpress." It's where people wait outside...in the freezing cold... and just order at the window.

Russians love eating ice cream outside in winter. God forbid you drink a cold Coke outside, but ice cream is a-okay. So, Laura and I got ice cream, and we walked around in Bolotnaya Square park, near the historic center. Even though it was sunny, it was so cold and windy.

Then we went across a bridge where there are several wedding lock trees. This is where couples and their wedding parties come and seal the deal with a padlock on the tree. They decorate them and write their names on them. It's supposed to represent eternal love. Laura and I saw two couples there yesterday.

The biggest one on the tree...

"Zhenya and Oksana"

After that we went to look at some sculptures in a nearby park. They are fascinating. The entire group of sculptures is called "Children Are the Victims of Adult Vices." The artist is Mikhail Shemyakin, and his sculptures were unveiled in 2001. When he first planned the sculptures, many people in the city were in uproar and thought the sculptures too inappropriate, but up the they went anyway.

Twelve creatures surround two golden children playing with a ball. Each figure represents an adult vice.

In the center the figure represents indifference. He has four arms. Two cross his chest, and two are used to plug his ears from listening.

This creature represents irresponsible science.

To the right the donkey represents ignorance. The fat dude is alcoholism. To the left the creature represents thievery.

To the right the frog-woman represents prostitution. To the left the man represents drug addiction.

To the left is propaganda of violence. In the middle is sadism. The stocks to the right is labeled "for those without memory."

Child labor.

Poverty.

War.

After that we went to the Tret'yakovskaya Art Gallery. It was all Russian art. The Tret'yakovskaya brothers were art collectors, so the gallery is named after them. And the metro is named after the gallery. Laura has been to the gallery five times, and she knew when a painting was being restored or when it had been moved. "That's not supposed to be there." It was pretty funny to me.

Here are a few of paintings I like:

This is actually Laura's favorite painter. His name is Kuinji. This is called "Moonlit Night on the Dnieper."

This painting was HUGE! Laura informed me that it is one of the most famous Russian paintings. I'm glad she knows interesting things like that because I had no clue about what was famous and what wasn't famous. This painting is called "The Appearance of Christ to the People," and it was painted by Alexander Ivanov.

I really like this one. It is "Christ in the Wilderness" by Kramshoy.

This is "The Unknown Woman" by Kramshoy. Laura said that they found who the unknown woman was. She was a prostitute.

I love this one because that is how Moscow looks right now except it has skyscrapers. The snow is melting, the ground is dirty, and the birds are returning. The painter is Sarasov, and it's called "The Rooks Have Returned."

I got to see the original portrait of Dostoevsky by Perov. :)

I like this one a lot too. It's by Yarashenko, and it's called "There Is Life Everywhere."

Well, as always, I'll keep you posted. I'm on spring break. So, I'm going to a ballet on Tuesday, and then Andrea and I take a 1 a.m. train to St. Petersburg that night. We'll be there for four days.

Much Love,
Meredith